Hunger Pains
Chips were down at Killie but our clubs have Euro appetite
My first taste of European football included a prematch trip to McDonald’s – but it proved to be anything but a Happy Meal.
It was with Kilmarnock and we had qualified for the UEFA Cup. We were paired with Czech side Sigma Olomouc and the first leg was over there.
We sat down for a bite to eat a few hours before kick-off and the waiter laid out a few options and a few local delicacies.
It was all foreign fare, traditional food.
And to be frank, goulash before a match should never be on the menu.
As a squad we got to our feet and raced around the corner to McDonald’s.
A few burgers and fries later and we had been beaten 2-0 – but firmly believed we could repair the damage in Ayrshire.
Aberden will have similar faith in themselves next week and have a terrific opportunity to get through against Rijeka despite having to recover a two-goal deficit. We were in a similar situation and I remember it well.
We were a bit too gung-ho at Rugby Park. They scored an away goal on the break and it gave us far too much to do as we ended up losing 2-0 again.
Aberdeen will know all about the need not to get caught like that as an away goal for Rijeka will kill the tie.
Derek McInnes will tell his players to be wary and that they have 90 minutes to get those two goals so they can still afford to show patience.
They will be professional, they want to win the game and give themselves time to do that.
I believe that it should be Scotland United no matter which club is flying the flag for our game on the continent and this could be a breakthrough season on that front. Rangers were excellent. As an attacking threat against Midtjylland they were as good as I have seen in a while. The movement was superb and they had so much pace in wide areas that the Danes couldn’t cope. Steven Gerrard won’t take anything for granted but he’ll know there are plenty more goals available in the return at Ibrox. He won’t be happy with the loss of two goals but it’s still early in the season and Celtic boss Neil Lennon summed it up for both Old Firm clubs when he said they are finding their feet. Celtic were professional and disciplined during their draw with Cluj and the away goal could prove crucial. We all know European nights at Celtic Park are something to behold so I believe that will also help see them through. Let’s hope all of our clubs progress. We need the added gravitas no matter who you support, it’s massive and would promote Scottish football right through the roof in so many
positive aspects. Everyone who cares about our game should be rooting for both sides of the Old Firm and Aberdeen to get trough to the group stage.
There are so many spin-offs for us all if the three of them do well.
All the Premier League clubs benefit financially so the basic fact there’s income to be gained is an incentive enough.
Everything would filter through so it’s something that every Scottish football fan should be supporting.
There is a ground-shift in our game, for the first time I feel we can bargain for a proper price for our players.
Scottish football should no longer be regarded as a cheap market and that shows with the amount of players now being sold and the price they are going for.
Success in Europe increases Scottish football’s value across the board, everything goes up – the price of players, the increased wages.
That’s why everyone who loves football in this country should get behind them all and give them as much support as we can.
Unlike my Kilmarnock side, they needn’t make a meal of it.